The gate of a city is necessarily the place for the collector of local customs to sit to receive the moneys due for commodities entering the city (Mt 9»).
These gateways are often very higlily orna-
mented, sentences from the Kordn bein" inscribed on the doorways and on the doors (cf . Dt 6*, Is 54'-, Rev 2P'). Maundrell {Early Travels, p. 488, A.D. 1697), speaking of Damascus, says, ' In these walls you find the gates and doors adorned with marble portals, carved and inlaid with great beauty and variety.' The city gates of the present day are usually two- leaved, of wood studded with iron naUs, and often covered with iron or copper plates. As in olden times, the gates of walled cities, such as Jeru- salem, Damascus, Cairo, etc., are closed at night (Robinson, BRP iii. 455 ; Lane, Mud. Egyp. i. 25).
Burying places were outside the gate (Lk 7'-) ; so was the irpoaevxr) at Philippi (Ac 16") ; Jesus suffered ' without the gate,' He 13" (cf. Lv 24", Nu 15^, 1 K21i»-"etc.).
The word ' gate ' is used, in a figurative sense, in a variety of ways. It is used, esp. in Dt, to denote the city itself, ' And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemy' (Gn 22" 24«», Dt 12'2). We read also of the gate of heaven (Gn 28") ; the gate of the Lord (Ps 118-") ; the gates of death (Ps 9") ; the gates of the grave (Is SS'") ; the gates of Hades (Mt W^). The gate from its importance and defensive strength becomes the sjTionym for strength, power, and dominion. ' Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise' (Is 60'*) ; 'The Lord loveth tha gates of Zion ' (Ps 87^) ; ' Lift up your heads, O e gates' (Ps 24'); in time of calamity the gates ow"! and languish, lament and mourn (Is 14^' 3-", Jer 14-). By metonymy ' the gates ' meant those who administered justice at the gates and held government (Hom. II. ix. 312 ; cf. Mt 16'*).
To keep and watch over the temple, city, and palace gates were porters (doorkeepers) and watch- men ("i);;iE*, 9vpiiipbi, vv\ap&s, portarius, janitor). In the temple of Jerusalem the duties of keeping the gates ultimately devolved upon the Levites (1 Oh gist. i53f._ 2 Ch 31'^ Jer 35^). In the time of the Chronicler 4000 of the Levites were porters (door- keepers) about the temple (1 Ch 23'), and the porters waited at every gate (2 Ch 35"). Tlie location of the porters at the gates is given in 1 Ch 20.
In the palace of Shushan (Est 2-' 6'-) tlie king's chamberlams kept the door. In tlie time of our Lord it is mentioned that a maid kept the door of the court of the high priest at Jerus. (Jn 18"^, cf. Ac 12"). There were also i>orters and watchmen to the city gates. Da\'id sat between the two gates at Maha- naim, and the watchman went up over the gate and called unto the porter (2 S 18-'). The lepers called to the porters of the city of Samaria (2 K 7'"). Nehemiah on rebuilding the walls of Jeru- salem speaks of appointing the porters, and appointing watches of tlie inhabitants (Ne!i7-''); he also set his servants over tlie gates when they were shut on the Sabbath (Neh 13'"). There were also guards to the gates (2 K 11") and guard chambers (1 K 14^). Keepers of prison doors are spoken of (Ac 5^ 12').
The porter or doorkeeper [dvpwpht) of a fold is spoken of as opening to the sliepliord (Jn IfP). In private houses tliere were doorkeepers to watch the entrance (Mk 13*^). In Greek and Roman houses there was a small room (Bvpwv, cclla) for the porter and also for his dog, which wa-s usually kept in the hall to guard the house (Aristot. Oeron. i. 6; Plato, ProUifi. p. 314 ; Aristoph. Enuit. 1025 ; Tibull. i. 1. 56). C. WARUEN.
GATH(n3'wine-press'; LXX IVO; Jos. nTTo;Vulg. Grill), one of the five royal cities of the Philistines (Jos 1,3', 1 S 6'"), the site of which is still uncertain, though its position can be located, within a railius of a few miles, from the various references to it in Scripture. The preiiondcraiice of opinion is in favour of its identity with tlie village of Tell es-Sitfi, the Blanchegarde of the Crusaders ; while some VOL. II.- 8
authorities give reasons for identifying it with the rtllage of Beit Jibrln, which is also identified a* Eleutheropolis. These two sites are about 8 miles apart, within that portion of the Shepli.!lali or undulating country which was allotted to 'lie tribe of Judah, and is recognized as being within the border of the Philistines. According to Josepliii>, however (Ant. v. i. 22), Gath was in the territory of Dan, and is coupled ^^^th Jamnia as though in its vicinity on the southern border of the territory.
Gath is not mentioned in Jos as having been allotted to either the tribe of Judah or Dan, but all the references to it indicate that it was close to the border separating these two tribes : in coiiiinon with Ashdod and Gaza, it remained in possessinn of the Anakim after Joshua had destroyed them out of all the other cities of Palestine (.Jos 11--').